Memorandum by Marta Lorens, Lubelskie
Regional Representation (Poland)
Poland has become the biggest beneficiary of
the cohesion policy in the EU financial perspective for 2007-13.
The total amount for execution of structural operations is approximately
€85.6 billion from which €67.3 is EU budget share. The
expenditures within the cohesion policy will be co-ordinated with
other expenditures, among others the Common Agricultural Policy.
The total amount of financial means for 2007-13 for development
activities will be above €107.9 billion from which €85.4
billion comes from EU funds.
The Lublin region has become a significant beneficiary
of allocation within structural funds, the Cohesion Fund and the
European Agriculture Fund. At division of the EU funds the attention
was paid to invest in the area of so-called "Eastern Poland"
to the higher degree than previously. Within the territory of
our voivodship, apart from the Regional Operational Programme
we will also become a beneficiary of all national programmes prepared
by the Polish government, ie Operational Programme—Development
of Eastern Poland, Operational Programme—Innovative Economy,
Operational Programme—Infrastructure and Environment and
additionally of the programme financed from the European Agriculture
Fund: the Rural Development Programme. The total amount of the
funds available in our region for 2007-13 for development activities
is approximately €5 billion of which over €4 billion
comes from EU funds.
The basic index describing economic potential of
the region is value of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita.
In 2004 the value of GDP per capita in Lubelskie voivodship was
PLN 16 800 (€7568 using purchasing power parity), which was
69% of the average level for Poland and 33.8% of the European
average. The voivodship's share of GDP is nearly 4.0% and has
been successively decreasing.
The basis of regional economic development is
the value of fixed assets and capacity for their reconstruction
and increase. The gross value of fixed assets in the economy of
Lubelskie voivodship was estimated in 2004 at the level of PLN
82.4 billion, 4.5% of the national share (and the 8th largest
in the country). The unfavourable phenomenon is a slow modernization
and exchange pace of gross fixed assets in the region. The renewal
index measured by the value of investment outlays in 2000-04 in
relation to gross value of fixed assets in 2004 is 23.8% for Lubelskie
voivodship compared with 34% averaged across Poland. The value
of investment outlays in Lubelskie voivodship in 2005 was slightly
above PLN 4.4 billion, representing 3.4% of the investments in
the country (the 11th highest). However the voivodship is located
in last position in the country when the level of investment outlays
is measured per capita: it equates to PLN 1992 (€583)—the
average value in Poland is PLN 3434 (€1005). Many factors
influence the quality of the voivodship area and the degree of
its relations and connections with remaining part of the country
and Europe. The most important factors are those resulting out
of environmental and cultural conditions, the colonization system
including the network of mutual relations between cities and rural
areas highly influencing the level of interregional differentiations.
Another important factor determining the area quality and region
attractiveness is the level of voivodship basic technical infrastructure
connected mainly with communication and transport, environmental
protection, production and energy distribution.
Badly developed infrastructure impacts significantly
upon the low investment levels and tourist attractiveness of the
voivodship. Lubelskie voivodship has been assessed for few last
years as the least attractive region in Poland in rankings of
investment attractiveness (ie the 15th position in the country
(data from 2006)). Insufficient regional communication capacity,
the poor condition of technical infrastructure, no areas prepared
and ready for investment and a badly developed services network
lead to Lubelskie voivodship being classified within the lowest
E1 class in the assessment of investment attractiveness.
The aforementioned data prove that the amount
of €4 billion from EU funds allocated for the period 2007-13
will be insufficient from the point of the region investment needs.
The attempt to even the level of Lublin region
development in relation to faster and better developed regions
in Poland and simultaneously dynamic economic development in the
European space will require additional funds, both national and
European, calculated for longer period of time.
21 May 2008
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